INDIANAPOLIS -- The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the Region 9 Mark of Excellence Awards winners for the 2008 calendar year. SPJ Region 9 includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This year, collegiate journalists submitted more than 3,600 entries in 39 categories across SPJ’s 12 regions.

The honorees were recognized on April 4 during the regional spring conference held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. First place regional winners advance to the national round of judging, which is ongoing. National winners will be announced in mid-May.

For additional information on the Mark of Excellence Awards, please contact Lauren Rochester at 317-927-8000 ext. 210 or lrochester@spj.org.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper (published at least 4 times per week)• First Place: Staff, The Daily Utah Chronicle, Utah State University• Second Place: Staff, The Daily Universe, Brigham Young University• Third Place: Staff, The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Colorado State University

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (published less than 4 times per week)• First Place: Staff, The Metropolitan, Metropolitan State College of Denver• Second Place: Staff, Wingspan, Laramie County Community College• Third Place: Staff, University Journal, Southern Utah University

Best Student Magazine• First Place: Staff, College Avenue, Colorado State University• Second Place: Staff, CSU-Pueblo Today, Colorado State University, Pueblo• Third Place: no award

Breaking News Photography• First Place: Aaron Schwendiman, University of Utah, “Olympics protest”• Second Place: Lawrence Boye, University of Utah, “Five at the disco”• Third Place: Cora Kemp, Metropolitan State College of Denver, “Emotions crowd presidential election”

General News Photography• First Place: Staff, The Metropolitan, Metropolitan State College of Denver, “Five Days”• Second Place: Christopher Peddecord, University of Utah, “Roberts Portrait”• Third Place: Ryan Martin, Metropolitan State College of Denver, “In the shadow of history”

Feature Photography•First Place: Lucas Isley, University of Utah, “Ballet Utah”• Second Place: Lucas Isley, University of Utah, “Strech”• Third Place: Erik Daenitz, University of Utah, “Burning ring of fire”

Sports Photography• First Place: Lennie Mahler, University of Utah, “Borha fouled on dunk”• Second Place: Lennie Mahler, University of Utah, “Slide tackle”• Third Place: Thein Sok, University of Utah, “Reception made”

Radio News Reporting• First Place: Michael McFall, University of Utah, “Foreign doctors unable to practice”• Second Place: David Herd, Brigham Young University, “Homeless”• Third Place: David Herd, Brigham Young University, “BYU Graduate”

Radio In-Depth Reporting• First Place: Mandy Walker, University of Colorado at Boulder, “No place like home”• Second Place: Shabnam Kunwar, Brigham Young University, “Giving Back”• Third Place: no award

Radio Sports Reportingno awards

Radio Newscast• First Place: Staff, Classical 89 News, Brigham Young University• Second Place: no award• Third Place: no award

Television Breaking News Reporting• First Place: Josh Middleton, Colorado State University, “Iraq vets march for peace to DNC”• Second Place: no award• Third Place: no award

Television General News Reporting• First Place: Caitlin Hansen, Brigham Young University, “Paraglider crash”• Second Place: Stephanie Stone, Brigham Young University, “Breakin”• Third Place: David Herd, Brigham Young University, “Rehab”

Best All-Around Independent Online Student Publication • First Place: Staff, Hard News Café, Utah State University • Second Place: no award• Third Place: no award

For additional information on the Mark of Excellence Awards, please contact Lauren Rochester at (317) 927-8000 ext. 210 or lrochester@spj.org.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information on SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.